See Us On The CBS Early Show

Infrared Electrical Inspection Services

Infrared electrical inspections find hot spots caused by defects in connections and components. Infrared thermography is used to find areas of excess heat (caused by increased resistance) so that problems can be corrected before a component fails, causing damage to the component, creating safety hazards and productivity loss. Because increased heating is a sign of failure, infrared is the best diagnostic tool available for finding these hot connections in the early stages of degeneration. This is why your insurance company may have asked for an electrical infrared inspection, to find and prevent problems before they cause damage to your personnel, equipment and facility.

These images from an electrical infrared inspection show overheated connections. The left image is an 800 amp switch with an internal connection problem overheating the bottom right wires. The right image shows heat generated from a loose connection on the top wire.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70B §11.17.5 suggests that every commercial and industrial building in the United States should have an IR survey at least once a year.

Call 845-641-5482 to schedule an infrared electrical survey.

How does Infrared find electrical problems?

Georg Simon Ohm (16 March 1789 - 6 July 1854) was a German physicist who discovered there is direct proportionality between the voltage applied across a conductor and the resultant electric-current now known as "Ohm's Law".

Ohm discovered that for a given current, as a component's resistance increases it will dissipate more power and its temperature will rise.

Increased resistance and heat are the primary reasons most electrical components fail. Infrared cameras detect this heat. Because most things electrical tend to get hot before they fail, Infrared inspection is the perferred diagnostic technology used to detect early failures in electrical systems and switchgear.

Even new components can be defective

This 20 amp circuit breaker has a loose wire screw. The loose connection has increased resistance causing it to get hot. Our high resolution imager clearly shows the hottest area of the wire is by the screw head.

Before an electrical component burns up, it heats up. Infrared thermography is used to perform Pd/Pm inspections on electrical equipment because excess heat is usually the first sign of trouble on electrical (or mechanical) apparatus. Loose connections, imbalanced circuits, defective breakers, damaged switchgear, faulty fuses or fuse clips, overloaded circuits, poor workmanship, material defects and a range of other conditions will eventually lead to excess heat and component failure.

Defective Knuckles on disconnect switch overheating.

Defective fuse clip will cause circuit failure.

Infrared Thermography can find problems early in the failure cycle. Early detection allows maintenance personnel to take corrective action before a component fails, minimizing damage to the component and reducing repair costs. Call us to discuss ROI on a cost effective electrical inspection at your facility.

Electrical Commissioning

The electrical distribution system is the foundation for every other system in a commercial building. An electrical system failure will cause communication, fire saftey, security and other mechanical systems to fail as well. It might seem like overkill to go through the commissioning process, but a study on losses associated with electrical failure showed that over 50% of the 766 losses were caused by inadequate maintenance and testing.

Fortunately, this company's insurance underwriter insisted on an Infrared electrical inspection prior to issuing the policy. Its a good thing they did. The image on the left shows a severely overheated connection, it will eventually fail.

Determines if components and systems are in compliance with the project specifications and design

Reduces construction schedule delays

Saves money

If you have a new or remodeled commercial building, or are installing, upgrading or maintaining your commercial power system, feel free to give us a call and set up an electrical infrared scan of site. Make sure you are getting what you pay for, and that your building and systems are functioning according to specifications!

These supply cables in the image on the left are overheating at the lug connection. The lower portion of the center vertical buss bar is hot due to a loose connection where it is bolted togeather with the lower section of buss bar.

Infrared thermography can quickly identify potential problems with breakers, inter connections, wire crimps, and loose or corroded connections. You can reduce unscheduled down time and catastrophic failures with an Infrared electrical survey.

An effective preventative maintenance strategy must include an infrared scan of all electrical, moving and rotating equipment!

Image below left: a typical example of how infrared can quickly see a loose or deteriorated connection.. Here we have a loose connection on a transformer tap. If left unrepaired, this part will fail, the transformer will fail, and anything that it is supplying voltage to will go down.

Image below right: an Oil Circuit Breaker at a utility substation; with infrared imaging it's easy to see that there is something wrong here!

In very little time, a well-trained thermographer can find these problems, allowing you to schedule the repair before unscheduled failure happens.

The cost of an IR scan is small in comparison to its benefits. Return on investment is very easy to justify! Contact Infrared Imaging Services to set up an infrared scan appointment at your facility.